Mineral micro-mount specimens from my own collection are the subject of the mineral paintings. Mineral micro-mounts are specimens that require a microscope to see clearly. Typically, mineral micro-mounts or micro minerals as they sometimes called are less than ½ inch in size and are mounted inside small plastic boxes for protection. Of the over 3000 known mineral species only a few hundred crystallize in a form visible without magnification. I use a Motic K400 stereo microscope fitted with a Camera Lucida. A home-built gimbal mechanical stage holds the specimen in a fixed position under the microscope.

The Camera Lucida is a mirror type device which allows a rough drawing of a micro mineral to be drawn directly from the microscope. This rough drawing is enlarged on a photocopier. Tracing paper is placed over the enlarged drawing. Using the microscope as a source of reference, the rough drawing is refined. Great care is taken to ensure accuracy of form at this step.

The refined drawing is then transferred by a graphite tracing to hot pressed acid free illustration board. This transferred drawing is again further refined by using the microscope as a direct reference. Acrylic gauche and transparent watercolor are used to render the image in color. An initial value painting is done to establish the basic light/dark aspects of the painting. Multiple washes of transparent watercolor are used in a technique called “glazing” to build the deep rich colors that are seen under the microscope. On average it takes anywhere from two to four weeks to complete a mineral painting. To ensure accuracy of color a home-built light source set for a color temperature of 5000° K and both direct microscope reference and photomicrographs are used. An Edmund Scientific trinocular microscope fitted with a Nikon N70 SLR and a 5000°K light source are used to capture photomicrographs of the mineral micro-mounts.